Not like your sister
Today…
is National Day of Silence, a national day of action sponsored by GLSEN to highlight “the silencing and erasure of LGBTQ people at school.” I don’t know. I don’t want more silence. The bullies aren’t going to be silenced. They want these kids to shut TF up. I want to hear from no one but the LGBTQ kids today.
is my sister’s birthday!! Lemme tell you a little something about the two of us.
I’m a communications consultant. (Available for hire. Hi.) My work today will entail sitting here on the couch, with my laptop, research, writing, thinkin’ real hard about things. I’ll have the nerve to say how very worn out I am this evening.
She’s an RN, working overnights at a Los Angeles emergency room. She’ll be on her feet all night. Her work started cutting the legs off old scrubs for head coverings, for lack of proper PPE. AND - AND - she has an asshole older sister who will share pictures of her like this.
How you not gonna share now. For Josie. Look at that face. Ridiculous.
And one last thing, just ‘cause it made me laugh:
CNN: Japanese mayor says men should grocery shop during pandemic as women 'take a longer time'
“Women take a longer time grocery shopping because they browse through different products and weigh out which option is best,” Matsui told reporters. “Men quickly grab what they're told to buy so they won't linger at the supermarket.”
This is how you wind up with 3lb of ground beef, ice cream and Q-tips when you needed tampons and three pork chops.
Errata: In yesterday’s newsletter, I incorrectly stated that it was Friday. It was, in fact, Thursday. Sorry, Beth. ❤
Abortion
The assault on women’s abortion rights
Mary Ann Sorrentino | Boston Globe
As the nation deals with the coronavirus pandemic, women’s reproductive rights are under assault, with Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas seeking to deny abortions. Legislatures in those states are top-heavy with men who will never face the dilemma women confront when faced with an unintended pregnancy. These states included abortions on local public health departments’ lists of “nonessential” medical services, to be postponed indefinitely during the pandemic.
1A Across America: Abortion Bans During The Pandemic
NPR
Some states have banned "non-essential" medical procedures, citing the need to conserve personal protective equipment, like surgical masks and gowns, for hospitals. Officials in several states, including Texas and Arkansas, have said that ban includes abortion.
Abortion clinics expanding virtual options during pandemic
Mohana Ravindranath & Alice Ollstein | POLITICO
Abortion providers say they’re seeing heightened demand for telemedicine abortions during the coronavirus pandemic, and providers are preparing for a growing number of virtual visits as social distancing measures continue.
For Reproductive Freedom, Going Back to 'Normal' Is Not an Option
Jill Adams | Rewire.News
When we think about life as we once knew it, we must recognize that, in many ways, “normal” meant surviving and thriving despite—despite systems built to maintain and perpetuate oppression and harm at the expense of marginalized people, for the benefit of a privileged few.
Casting aside its precedents, Supreme Court moves inexorably toward abortion rights
Richard Wolf | USA Today
When a fractured Supreme Court ruled this week that jury convictions for serious crimes must be unanimous, one word appeared nearly as frequently in the differing opinions offered by five justices as "jury." That word was "precedent." And lurking between the lines was another word, mentioned just twice and only in footnotes: abortion.
Coronavirus Has Created Abortion Deserts Across the U.S.
Valerie Kipnis | VICE
Bans have prevented women from accessing abortion for days or weeks in some states — even when providers win the legal battle.
Alabama
Federal appeals court blocks Alabama’s attempt to ban abortion during COVID-19
Abbey Crain | Al.com
A federal appeals court on Thursday denied the state of Alabama’s attempt to prevent abortion procedures from being performed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ohio
Judge again gives Ohio abortion clinics discretion on performing surgical procedures during coronavirus pandemic
Eric Heisig | Cleveland.com
A federal judge on Thursday issued a new order allowing some surgical abortions to proceed in Ohio, as the state Health Department imposes restrictions on some medical procedures with the stated goal of conserving personal protective equipment.
Cincinnati Enquirer: Coronavirus in Ohio: Federal judge says some surgical abortions allowed under state's elective surgery ban
Texas
Abortion resumes in Texas following executive order
Chloe Atkins | NBC News
Texas will allow patients to get an abortion again after Gov. Greg Abbott’s new executive order eased restrictions on some surgical procedures, including abortion. The order allows a health care facility to operate if it can set aside 25 percent of its capacity for COVID-19 patients and will not need to request PPE from governmental sources for the duration of the pandemic.
Family Caregiving
This stat is always front of mind when we talk about family caregiving: The average caregiver is a 49 year old woman who works outside the home and provides 20 hours per week of unpaid care to her mother.
COVID-19 highlights how caregiving fuels gender inequality
Belen Garijo | Agenda (World Economic Forum)
Caregiving is an under-resourced, unpaid activity that falls disproportionately on women and girls worldwide. Those who care for a family member or loved one face an array of challenges as they juggle paid work, unpaid caregiving responsibilities, and their own personal needs and health – both of which are too often sacrificed. Yet, the work of carers is largely overlooked because it is not measured in traditional economic productivity indicators.
Family caregiving in the era of Covid-19
Todd Fahey | New Hampshire Business Review
Even in ordinary times, the 177,000 unpaid family caregivers across the Granite State face a daunting set of daily tasks. Oftentimes with little or no training, they may be responsible for wound care, tube feedings, dressing, managing the finances and medical bills of their loved ones, transportation and more. Of course, these are no ordinary times.
The Challenges of Post-COVID-19 Care
Dhruv Khullar | The New Yorker
Families who just weeks ago had been happy, healthy, and intact now face the prospect of prolonged separation. Many spouses and children will become caregivers, which comes with its own emotional and physical challenges. Roughly two-thirds of family caregivers show depressive symptoms after a loved one’s stay in the I.C.U. Many continue to struggle years later.
LGBTQ
First Loss, Then Denial of Benefits: How Widowed LGBTQ American Are Suffering More Under Coronavirus
Casey Quinlan | Courier
The U.S. Social Security Administration mandates that someone be married to their spouse for at least nine months before their death in order to receive survivors benefits. Queer people in committed relationships who were denied survivors benefits following their partners’ deaths say the pandemic has forced them to make tough choices. Older LGBTQ Americans are struggling to support themselves amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
A judge in Texas says she was forced to remove a rainbow pride flag from her courtroom after a defense attorney complained
Kelly McLaughlin | INSIDER
Judge Rosie Speedlin Gonzalez, who presides over Bexar County Court 13 in San Antonio, Texas, told NBC News that she had to remove a rainbow flag from her courtroom after a defense attorney filed a complaint. The State Commission on Judicial Conduct conducted an investigation into allegations of judicial misconduct and determined the flag had to be removed, she said. She called the situation xenophobic and gender-based discrimination and has filed an appeal.
One In Five LGBTQ+ People Are Already 'Much Worse Off' Financially Because Of Coronavirus
Christianna Silva | MTV News
In the weeks following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in the United States, millions of people have lost their jobs, had their hours cut, and felt the heavy impact a pandemic can have on their economic freedom — and LGBTQ+ Americans are among those who are feeling the economic effects strongest, according to new research from PSB Research and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
LGBTQ activists join forces to reimagine Pride amid coronavirus pandemic
Tim Fitzsimons | NBC News
Facing a wave of cancellations amid the global pandemic, LGBTQ activists are scrambling to reimagine gay pride events, some of which are among the biggest in-person gatherings in the world.
Pregnancy & Parenting
Minority women more likely to have gaps in insurance coverage around pregnancy
Erin Michael | Healio
Black, Hispanic and indigenous women are more likely than white women to have disruptions in health insurance coverage around the time of pregnancy, according to a new study. “Racial and ethnic disparities in maternal and child health outcomes are a national public health crisis,” said Lindsay Admon, MD, MSc, an assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Michigan Medical School.
America’s Maternal Mortality Crisis: Part 1 & Part 2
Katie Couric | Next Question
Long before COVID-19 hit the U.S. in early 2020, the American health system was suffering another crisis: alarmingly high — and rising — rates of maternal mortality, particularly among black women. In this country, an estimated two women die every day from pregnancy and childbirth-related causes. And 60 percent of those deaths could have been prevented.
You know, Katie Couric had that perky morning show image that is never really my thing, but I’ve listened to her podcast here and again, and I gotta say, she does a good job. She’s a good interviewer.
Work & Money
This Is Hard For Everyone. It’s Even Harder For Parents Who Don’t Make Much Money.
Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux | FiveThirtyEight
While parents who are still working might be teetering between madness and exhaustion, workers who have suddenly lost jobs and income are facing a different kind of balancing act. That’s particularly the case for low-wage workers. Even when the economy was good, many were already struggling with stress and financial insecurity
Georgia's decision to reopen businesses during a pandemic is a slap in the face to mothers
Jennifer Gerson | NBC News
When Kemp announced that many personal services businesses in the state would be allowed to reopen starting Friday, I immediately thought: What about the mothers? By sending hairdressers, nail salon technicians, tattoo parlor workers, restaurant staffers, gym workers and bowling alley employees back to work, Kemp is sending a lot of mothers back to work, forcing them to make unfathomable choices at a dangerous time.
The Pandemic Is Hurting Women Workers Most Of All
Abby Maxman | WBUR-FM (Boston, MA)
If you’re a woman in a low-wage job in the United States, the coronavirus pandemic has most likely delivered a walloping blow to you and your family over the last month. If you’re still working, you may be directly on the front lines — in a hospital or a grocery store, an assisted living facility or a restaurant. You’re exposed to the risk of infection all day, while earning less on the dollar than your male counterparts.
The Pandemic is the Perfect Time for Men to Embrace 'Breadsharing' Instead of Breadwinning
Michelle King | Working Mother
Traditional gender roles are not sustainable for a shutdown. Sharing the breadwinner and caretaker roles equally instead of dividing them is the key to surviving the pandemic.
More, More, More
The news media’s reporting on a pandemic spike in violence against women. It might actually be declining.
Mala Htun & Francesca Jensenius | Washington Post
Does an increase in reporting mean that violence against women has increased? Researchers don’t know. … In fact, increases in reporting usually mean more women feel they can seek help, not more violence. Almost everywhere, domestic violence, rape, sexual harassment, and other crimes against women are under-reported. When we see more women reporting, that usually points to legal and cultural changes that make women feel safer coming forward.
The writers underscore that we do not know for sure, but this is at least a heartening point. Not unlike coronavirus, an increase in overall numbers could just be a function of more available testing. Listen. Sometimes you gotta grab for a little bright spot where you can.